YouTube is a source of information on RA, of variable quality, with wide viewership and potential to influence patients' knowledge and behavior. Physicians and professional organizations should be aware of and embrace this evolving technology to raise awareness about RA, and empower patients to discriminate useful from misleading information.
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are systemic diseases that manifest not only in the gut and gastrointestinal tract, but also in the extraintestinal organs in many patients. The quality of life for patients with IBD can be substantially affected by these extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs). It is important to have knowledge of the prevalence, pathophysiology, and clinical presentation of EIMs in order to adapt therapeutic options to cover all aspects of IBD. EIMs can occur in up to 24% of patients with IBD before the onset of intestinal symptoms, and need to be recognized to initiate appropriate diagnostic procedures. EIMs most frequently affect joints, skin, or eyes, but can also affect other organs, such as the liver, lung, and pancreas. It is a frequent misconception that a successful therapy of the intestinal inflammation will be sufficient to treat EIMs satisfactorily in most patients with IBD. In general, peripheral arthritis, oral aphthous ulcers, episcleritis, or erythema nodosum can be associated with active intestinal inflammation and can improve on standard treatment of the intestinal inflammation. However, anterior uveitis, ankylosing spondylitis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis usually occur independent of disease flares. This review provides a comprehensive overview of epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and treatment of EIMs in IBD.
Several preclinical and observational studies have shown that anti-diabetic medications (ADMs) can modify the risk of hepatocellular cancer (HCC) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). We performed a systematic review and meta-analyses of studies evaluating the effect of metformin, thiazolidinediones (TZDs), sulfonylureas, and/or insulin on the risk of HCC. We conducted a systematic search of Medline, EMBASE, and Web of Science up to August 2012. Studies were included if they (1) evaluated and clearly defined exposure to metformin, TZDs, sulfonylureas, and/or insulin, (2) reported HCC outcomes in patients with DM, and (3) reported relative risks or odds ratio (OR) or provided data for their estimation. Summary OR estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using the random-effects model. Ten studies reporting 22,650 cases of HCC in 334,307 patients with type 2 DM were included in the analysis. Meta-analysis of observational studies showed a 50% reduction in HCC incidence with metformin use (n=8 studies; OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.34-0.73), 62% and 161% increase in HCC incidence with sulfonylurea (n=8 studies; OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.16-2.24) or insulin use (n=7; OR 2.61, 95% CI 1.46-4.65), respectively. TZDs did not modify the risk of HCC (n=4; OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.28-1.02). There was considerable heterogeneity across studies, which was partly explained by study setting, location, and whether the studies adjusted for the concomitant use of other ADMs. Post-hoc analysis of randomized controlled trials did not reveal any significant association between ADM use and risk of HCC. ADMs may modify the risk of HCC in patients with DM, especially in the Western population. However, the effect of each individual agent should be interpreted with caution owing to inherent cancer-modifying effect of the comparator group.
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